Frost
by MunlytAngel01
Summary: a union between the ice and the wind... frost' he didn't even notice how it happned, when it happened or why it happened... all he knows is that he suddenly found himself wanting her to be close to him and no one else...
1. Chapter 1

well... this is my second story... hope you guys like it!

disclaimer: i don't own FoR but god knows how i'm wishing i did! hehehe! read on!

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Chapter 1: Under the Ebony Sky**

_It has been said that if you've been through a lot of suffering in your life and your prayers seems to be left unanswered, you must go on top of the place you think is closest to the heavens during midnight and light up some fireworks. In that way, the angels would hear the sounds and would be attracted to the beautiful colors of the fireworks, and together with that, they would hear your prayers and it would be given to you…_

It was the most spectacular thing she had ever seen. So spectacular that all she could do was stand there with them and gaze at it with awe written boldly on her face. She doesn't know if it may be the effect of being in a bloody tournament just a week ago that such small things could easily amaze her, but for her, if man would be able to do magnificent things in their entire lives, this must be the most magnificent of them all. Bright colors contrasted with the ebony sky, sparkling and showing off for a few minutes before disappearing into thin air, only to be replaced once again by, yet, another dazzling fireworks display. Minutes had already passed, yet, she was silently wishing that the dazzling presentation, courtesy of their flame caster friend, would cease to end.

"Hey guys," Recca's voice shortly divided her attention from the fireworks display. "The finale is almost near. Believe me, it will be the most wonderful display you'll ever lay your eyes on for the rest of your lives."

She gave her friend a warm smile of appreciation, suddenly lost of words from what she was witnessing before her very eyes, before turning back to the skies and watching the wonderful dance of colors and design against the ebony sky, thinking that if there could be a more dazzling, awesome, presentation aside from this, then she should keep her eyes open and not miss it even for the world.

"And in three…" Recca started the count down 'till the finale presentation. "two… one… here goes!"

It was indeed the most beautiful thing she had ever witnessed. Suddenly, the dark sky was lightened up with bright fireworks shooting upward towards the heavens before exploding into a spherical design and sparkling like tiny diamonds before slowly fading away. It was followed by yet; another succession of shooting fireworks before exploding once again, however, this time, instead of a spherical design, the tiny diamond-like fireworks formed their names in katakana.

"Sugoi…" was the only thing she could say, watching as her own name sparkled against the night sky before slowly fading away.

"Well, that's it!" Recca happily announced the end of the presentation that he helped his father with.

"Sugoi, Recca-kun…" Yanagi complimented with awe, wiping the tears that formed in her eyes due to the thoughtfulness she felt from the presentation.

"She's right Recca." She finally said, recovering from the state she was in during the presentation and going back to her old self. "Finally did something good, ne?" she teased before bursting into giggles, which Ganko and Kauro joined into.

"My Fuuko's right!" Domon cut in, suddenly appearing behind Fuuko, one hand slowly making its way to Fuuko's shoulder. "Maybe we should ask you to make the fireworks display on our wedding!"

This triggered her patience. The statement 'MY Fuuko', she could take, but the next statement Domon made just snapped the remaining strand of patience she have. Closing her hand into fist, she turned around to deliver her blow.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not your Fuuko!" she shouted with rage as her fist connected to Domon's chin.

Kauro, Ganko and the rest of the gang could only watch as one of their members was sent flying to the sky, something that wasn't new to them already. After Domon became a speck in the sky, everybody was silent and the only thing that could be heard was her heavy breathing while trying to control her anger.

After everything has been settled and Domon would seem to be taking a long time before coming back, Yanagi finally broke the silence enveloping the group.

"So, why don't we start the party inside? The food Kagero-san made might be getting cold already." She chirped in happily before pushing Recca and Kaoru inside.

She also followed suit, not forgetting to take Ganko's hand and walking side by side with her. Just as she was about to enter the house, she noticed Tokiya walking already towards the cave that would lead him out of Kagero's lair.

"Hey! Mi-chan! You're going at the wrong direction!" she shouted behind his back and at the same time stepping hurriedly towards his retreating form with Ganko in tow. "Kagero's house is this way not that way!"

"Believe me Kirisawa, I'm going at the right direction." He replied to her without even glancing at her.

She stopped for a while to let his words sink in. Not that she was slow or anything, but merely because she wanted to make sure if she heard it right.

"You're leaving?" she still asked despite of the obvious.

"For a monkey, you just got a little smart back there." Came the mocking reply.

She wanted to pounce him, there and then, for calling her monkey for the nth time but decided that making him stay is more important than giving him a piece of her mind. Quickly, she ran towards him and pulled at the sleeves of his shirt.

"But you can't leave!" she said as she grabbed his sleeves and stopped him from going any further.

"For the love of God, woman, this happens to be Armani you're stretching and is currently at the verge of tearing apart!" he glared at her while his hands are trying to tug and save his sleeves from parting away from the entire wardrobe.

Instantly, she let go of his sleeves. God knows how expensive Armani is and everybody knows she doesn't have the money to pay it if ever it tears apart from her vicious grip.

"Why are you leaving?" she asked, all the while, thinking how she'll be able to somehow, switch their positions so that she's the one near the cave and block Tokiya from going anywhere but back to the house.

Dusting the sleeves of his shirt and checking, just in case, for any damages, he spoke to her in a manner that made her shiver. "Look, Kirisawa, I know what you're thinking and I suggest that you don't do it. I'm far stronger than you are and I've got quicker reflex than you do, so changing our positions would be a very impossible task for an average monkey like you."

_Verbal swords play._ She thought, as her face formed a challenging smirk before answering with quick wit.

"You may be strong and fast, but you're still an arrogant jerk if you ask me."

"For the last few months of spending agonizing time with you guys, didn't it ever occur to you that I never cared about what people think or say about me? Although I know for sure that ninety nine percent of those are compliments." He said before gently raking his hands over his silvery mane.

Her eyebrows twitched from what she heard but she knows, in her mind, that what he just said is definitely and undeniably true. He sure is smart for his own good, but of course, she would never verbally admit it and contribute to those ninety-nine percent compliments thrown at his feet.

"Did I happen to mention vain in my last statement? I couldn't have forgotten that, since you're so full of vanity that if ever possible, you might probably marry yourself."

"That is a far more acceptable idea than the idea of marrying a monkey like you."

"That's three already, Mi-chan! You asked for it!" her patience snapped and readied herself to strike the ensui wielder standing coolly on front of her.

"Yamete!" a shrill voice suddenly popped out of nowhere.

She stopped at mid-strike and looked down at the owner of the shrill voice, who happens to be the blonde girl she was with a while ago.

"Stop it, neechan. Seeing Uruha trying to kill you is a far better sight than you guys trying to kill each other for a very dense reason." Ganko said, tear welling up the corners of her eyes.

She instantly put her fist down and kneeled in front of the child, soothing her and trying to stop her from crying any further. It's been a week already since they came back from the tournament and up until now, the memory of them almost dying in the hands of the enemies still haunts the child.

"Gomen Ganko. Don't worry; I'm not trying to kill Mi-chan. I'm just giving him a piece of my mind." She gently said as her hand caressed her blonde locks, which made Ganko smile warmly at her.

"As if you have any." She heard Tokiya mutter under his breath but decided to ignore him and focus on Ganko first.

"Tokiya-niisan." Ganko suddenly said, catching Tokiya offguard. "Onegai… don't leave. Just stay for a while and enjoy the party with us. Just this once… onegai…"

She stood up from her kneeling position and looked at the expression on Tokiya's face. It was priceless! After all, how many times do you see the face of the almighty and ever so great Tokiya almost drained of its usual hue? It was indescribable but one thing's surely written all over his face. Surrender.

"What now Mi-chan?" she mocked. "Are you going to ignore Ganko's wish here and leave her to cry?"

"Stupid monkey." He muttered before tracing his steps opposite from where his mind and body really wants to go and back to Kagero's house.

She smiled and totally ignored the 'monkey' comment. What mattered to her at that moment was to make him stay and mingle with the rest of the group and somehow, make him forget for a while the devastating truth he learned during the last part of the UBS.

"Mi-chan, wait for me!" she cried out before following Ganko and his retreating form.

* * *

He was annoyed, definitely and entirely annoyed. Who wouldn't be? Imagine yourself sitting beside a very drunk flame caster and gorilla singing an out of tune song on top of their lungs while holding a bottle of wine and wagging it like crazy, threatening to hit him any second from now. Not only that. Together with the drunken duo, imagine a, surprisingly sober, monkey sitting on the adjacent chair from them, laughing her head off and without even initiating a move to stop the duo from their stupidity.

_Why in the bloody hell did I let myself be dragged into this!_ He thought as he dodged the threatening bottle Recca was holding.

_That's it!_ He thought as he quickly stood up and moved away from the duo, making his way towards the garden.

Once there, he found a rock where he could sit and escape the havoc going on inside. He closed his eyes and relaxed himself from the stress of controlling himself from killing those drunken duo right there and then a while ago.

"Mi-chan…" a voice called him from behind.

Before he knows it, she was already standing beside him without even asking for permission if she could join him or not.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, obviously ignoring the signs that he wants to be left alone.

"None of your business." He answered curtly, already disliking her company.

Silence followed after that and he was glad that, for once, she didn't push him to talk. She was always like that, annoyingly loud and she keeps on giving him these friendly gestures that annoy him even more. He doesn't even know what this tomboyish monkey has that he was even allowing him to call him by that stupid nickname.

"So…" she started, placing one of her hands on her hips and looking at him quite expectantly. "What are you planning to do after this?"

"Go home and have a good night sleep free of annoying monkeys." He answered briefly, hoping that she got the idea behind it.

"Well, Kagero insisted that we should sleep over for tonight so the only part your getting is 'sleep' because definitely, you can't go home yet until tomorrow and we're here, the, what was it you called us? Oh yeah, annoying monkeys."

He didn't give a comment about what she said so once again, silence took over them. The only thing that could be heard was the night creatures sounding all over the place and Fuuko's feet sweeping the ground.

"Will you stop that? It's annoying."

He heard her sigh before slumping on to the ground. He turned to her and found her lying on the cold ground, her eyes intently focused on the night sky looming over them. She seems to be thinking about something very deep but being the kind of guy that he was, he never dared ask her anything about it. Rather, he closed his eyes and decided to accept the company. As long as she wasn't shouting and being boisterous, she can be a tolerable company at times.

A long silence followed her statement, his mind, losing track of time. They stayed in that position for a long time, neither saying anything and making a move to break whatever it is that was surrounding them.

"I always loved the night sky." He heard her break the silence between them. "It makes me feel…"

Tokiya, despite the fact that he would rather die than admit it, anticipated her next words amongst the brief silence that followed after that. The brief silence turned to a minute then two. With curiosity eating up inside him, he turned to her to see why she suddenly stopped what she was trying to say, only to find her eyes close and in a deep slumber.

He chuckled to himself, slightly amused at her current state. How she could sleep on that dirt was really unknown to him. In his mind however, a mental battle was going on. He was silently debating on leaving her there, let her catch a cold and suffer the hurt look that Yanagi would be giving him once she knew that he was there and didn't even do anything, or lift her off the ground and carry her to her room. Finally deciding, he chooses the lesser evil between the two.

Slowly, he pushed himself off the rock he was leaning on and knelt beside the sleeping Fuuko. He watched her face slightly illuminated by the light emanating from the moon before shaking his head and thinking how the bloody hell did he get himself in this situation. Cautiously, he slipped his arms behind Fuuko's back and knees, silently praying that she wouldn't wake up. If she wakes up and finds somebody carrying her, she would definitely strike first and ask questions later, and god knows how strong her fists are. Just look at Domon for an example.

When his arms are locked on the place where it should be, he gently lifted her a few inches from the ground, feeling her weight transfer to his strong arms. Not that she's heavy or something. Actually, she weighs less than he expected, assuming the way she devour her food. Carefully, he stood up from his kneeling position and fully lifted Fuuko.

_What the hell do you think you're doing! _His mind debated. _This is so not you Tokiya._

He gently shook his head to clear his mind from anything and concentrate on bringing Fuuko to her room. The faster he does that, the sooner he'll be free of such burden.

However, his slight movement stirred Fuuko from her slumber, causing her to gently moan in his arms.

_SHIT!_

For a moment, he was unsure of what to do, whether he'll drop her on the ground, resume his position by the rock and deny whatever it is she was thinking or just stand there and wait for her fist to connect to his oh-so-perfect cheek bones. He was thinking of choosing the former rather than risk having his cheekbones broken.

However, instead of waking up as he expected, Fuuko merely snuggled closer to his chest, her warm and rhythmic breathing grazing his suite, which isn't much of a hindrance to prevent the shivers to run down his spine. What's much worse was that her loose hand suddenly found their way around his neck and locked there as if they really belonged there in the first place.

_This is so not happening! Why in the bloody hell did I let myself be in this situation!_

Hurrying his footsteps, he carried Fuuko inside the house and into her room. He gently laid her on her bed, feeling her weight leave his arms. He watched her as she rolled onto her side, facing him, and murmured something in her sleep. He frowned, leaning slightly forward and suddenly feeling curious at what she was saying in her sleep.

"My prince…"

The frown on his face deepened before he abruptly stood up from the side of her bed. He decided to leave the room, the frown on his face, still slightly illuminated by the moon.

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A/N: well... what do you think? good? bad? terrible? i hope not! hehehe! please read and review... pretty please?

anyway, for those of you guys who doesn't know, i also wrote a story before this... it's still not finish though... but hope you guys read it... it's entitled 'masquerade'...

i'll be waiting for you reviews! tanks guys!


	2. Chapter 2

a/n: well, kinda took me long to upload this chapter... hehehe! sorry guys... i have to get over a major writer's block... damn! hehehe! well... here goes nothin'!

**Chapter 2**

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Sometimes, there are some feelings that we aren't even aware of, yet it is still there. Other times, we choose to ignore those feelings and pretend that it never existed. But sometimes, when you thought you hide them very well, someone would eventually notice and you can't do anything to hide it anymore._

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The morning rays of the sun gently penetrated the wide windows, lighting up the quite large place and slightly bringing the warmth of the sun into the kitchen. At the center of the kitchen was a wooden table where he was seated, enjoying a pancake for breakfast and a steaming cup of coffee. He was holding up a newspaper and was silently reading the headlines for the day, enjoying the silence since the monkey clan seems to be asleep. After all, none of them should be up this early morning. Or so he thought.

"If I were you Kirisawa, I would keep my hands off somebody else's breakfast." He said the moment he felt somebody's presence, his eyes not leaving the newspaper he was reading.

"Come on Mi-chan! Don't you feel lonely eating breakfast alone?" he heard her say before hearing the seat beside him scrape against the floor.

"I don't remember inviting you to seat there." He snapped at her, putting down the newspaper on the table and glaring at her.

"Oh, don't worry. You don't have to invite me." She said, eyeing the newspaper placed between her and Tokiya. "So what's the news for the day?" she continued, mocking him along the way.

"Nothing brainless monkeys should be interested about." Tokiya retorted before taking his cup of coffee and gently sipping down the bitter sweet liquid. "I haven't read yet about a grounding break through of raising bananas and no additional researches are yet to be made for your species." He continued, gently placing his cup back on the table.

"Oh, is that so? Maybe because all the articles could talk about is a human ice block that seems to have an ego higher than the Mt. Everest. And here was humanity thinking that the ice age had long before passed only to discover that a single human being as cold as the ice still lives. Quite a break through, don't you think?"

By this time, he was already debating against himself if either he'll kill her swiftly with his ensui or give her a slow but painful death. How could she be so… irritating on such an early morning? Knowing her, she should still be sleepy and talking less rather than engaging in a verbal swords play with him. Even better, she should still be in bed and snoring like crazy rather than walking around the kitchen and pestering his life.

"So, are you sure you don't want to share your breakfast with me?" her voice broke the debate going on in his head.

"And what? Risk getting monkey fleas?" was his only reply before reaching for the paper once again and began to read. "Besides, why not share breakfast with the other monkeys?"

"Recca and the rest are still asleep while Kagero and Yanagi are busy at the garden." She said as she stood up from where she was seated and headed down to the counter. "I guess I'll just have to do it myself then."

Tokiya's comment was only a chuckle. He was very much confident that Fuuko would never dare do such things, especially cooking. That is one area she really sucks at and she'll probably end up burning down the house before she could even start mixing the flour.

However, to prove him wrong, he heard the cooking utensils clanking against the counter followed by an occasional opening of kitchen cabinets. This made him tear his eyes from the newspaper and looked behind his back, a frown making its way across his perfectly chiseled face.

"Don't you even dare Kirisawa." He warned, his tone, dangerously colder than the usual.

He watched her back as her shoulder raised in a shrug, definitely ignoring his warning.

"I'm getting hungry too Mi-chan." She replied, still rummaging around the kitchen for the utensils and ingredients needed for her pancake.

He looked at her as if she was insane. Well, she must be. All of them know that she can't even fry eggs, how much more cook a pancake, something way more complicated than frying eggs.

As if sensing that he was staring at her, he watched as she slowly turned around and faced him, her brows, shooting up her forehead as her arms suddenly found their way across her chest.

"What are you staring at?" she inquired, never breaking the eye contact with him.

Slowly, he rose from his seat and leaned against the table he was eating on a while ago. He raised one of his brows, his gaze silently scrutinizing her from head to toe as his arms crossed across his broad and, not to mention, muscular chest.

"Are you trying to burn the house down?" he asked, his intent gaze sizing her and showing his doubt on her cooking abilities.

She merely raised her shoulders at him before turning back to the counter and poured quite a large amount of flour onto the bowl, making some of its particles cloud before her. This elicited small coughs from her while panning the puff of flour off her face.

"You can't even pour the right amount of flour without coughing." He observed and before he could even think about what he was doing and why he was doing it, he slowly pushed himself off the table and headed towards the counter.

_Why am I even helping this monkey prepare her breakfast? She could starve to death or burn the house down for all I care…_

_And yet…_

He took the bowl off Fuuko's hands, quite harshly, and reduced the amount of flour she poured in it before mixing all the ingredients and finally coming up with the needed blend. All this he did while silently kicking himself for the mere fact of talking to her this morning and while searching his entire brain for the reason why he was even doing this.

"Why, Mi-chan…" Fuuko stated, irritating him even more than he already was. "Finally melting huh?"

It took all of his self control not to hurl the bowl he was holding right at the woman's face and stalk out of the room before she could even speak. At that time, he was already thinking that he must be crazy, definitely crazy, to be doing things he shouldn't do and to be acting like he actually cared that she might not be able to eat her breakfast.

"Didn't know you're cable of showing things like this…." She continued. "Being always cold and all, you know…"

"Kirisawa, do you want your breakfast or not?" he cut her off whatever things she still has to say.

He already heard enough and his mind was already giving up finding the exact reason why he was doing this. He was already making her breakfast, right? He was already doing her a favor, not just her, but also Kagero for saving the house from burning down, right? He was doing something that he wasn't supposed to be doing, right? Why can't she just shut up about the whole thing and be grateful that she's going to have her breakfast anytime soon? By doing so, she would prevent herself for rubbing the matter onto his face until it sink in and make him realize how much more of an idiot he is.

After fifteen minutes, Fuuko finally got her breakfast and he immediately collected his plate, still with a half eaten piece of pancake, and put it in the sink.

"Oh, don't bother about those, Mi-chan. I'll wash them later to return the favor." Fuuko said before digging into her own plate of pancake.

Complying with what she said and dying to get out of the kitchen, away from her, he quickly grabbed his newspaper and stormed out of the dinning room towards the living room. When he reached the living room, he sat himself on one of the comfy sofa and rested his head on the palm of his hands.

_What the hell is happening to me?_

Slowly opening his eyes, his cerulean orbs traveled towards the direction of the kitchen where a certain purple haired monkey was probably busy munching on her breakfast. Whatever it is that she was doing to him, he definitely wouldn't allow it. Not now, not ever. He wouldn't let himself trust somebody else, knowing that they would probably hurt him in the end. He wouldn't let himself succumb into any human emotions that would make him vulnerable once again.

* * *

She's supposed to be eating her breakfast comfortably if only she was oblivious of the fact that the ever-so-great Tokiya Mikagami is just outside the kitchen and she could feel his eyes piercing through the kitchen walls to glare at her.

Really now, why would he do that? It wasn't as if she asked him, pleaded him, or even threatened him to cook her breakfast. He could have at least shared his meal with her so as to avoid being bothered cooking breakfast for her.

Alright, so maybe she pestered him a little and tricked him to cook her breakfast. But what could she do? It wasn't as if it was her fault that she doesn't have inkling about cooking. Besides, at least she didn't have to resort into threatening him to burn down the house if he doesn't cook breakfast for her.

_Maybe it's about time that I learn how to cook._ She told herself, stuffing a piece of pancake in her mouth.

"I see you've got yourself some breakfast." Kagero's voice broke her line of thoughts.

She looked up from the almost-done pancake on her plate to the immortal woman just in time to see her walk towards the kitchen sink and place something from the garden she was tending to a while ago. Yanagi followed suite and placed her own set of tools on the counter beside Kagero's.

"Good morning Fuuko-chan." Yanagi greeted her with a warm smile, which she returned almost instantly.

"I'm quite surprised that you didn't burn down my kitchen." The immortal woman added, almost teasing her.

"Let's just say I have my own resources." She said, ignoring the woman's teasing and stuffing the last piece of the pancake in her mouth.

"By the way," she added, her hands already washing the dishes on the sink. "how's the garden doing?"

"Good. Yanagi's quite a good gardener." She said, placing a hand on Yanagi's shoulder and giving her a gentle pat.

She watched as the Hokage healer blush from the compliment she received from Kagero and decided to tease her a little.

"Well, at least you could help Kagero in her garden after you and Recca are married." She teased; winking at Yanagi and making the blush on her friends face change from pink to crimson red.

"Fuuko-san! You shouldn't be talking like that!" Yanagi shrieked from embarrassment.

"And why not? That's where both of you are heading for anyway." she continued teasing, earning a giggle from the immortal woman and a deeper shade from Yanagi's face.

"Fuuko-san…" Yanagi could only whisper to hide her embarrassment from the other occupants of the room.

"No need to hide it now Yanagi. Everyone knows what's been going on between the two of you."

She watched as Yanagi smiled at her comment and continued placing the tools back to their original positions in the cabinet below the sink. Seeing that she isn't of much help in the kitchen, Fuuko decided to go to the living room and join Tokiya, maybe pester him a little and bring out some emotions out of him. However, she was quite surprised to find the living room devoid of any occupant.

"Hey, have you guys seen Mi-chan?" she looked back at the kitchen and asked Kagero and Yanagi, who must have happened to pass him on their way to the kitchen.

"He's at the garden." Kagero answered, looking up from the bowl she was mixing, which she assumed to be Recca and the other's breakfast. "I asked him if he could plow some parts of the backyard for me to prepare it for future planting."

"Really?" She whispered, however, she was having a hard time believing what Kagero had said. It wasn't in his nature to just allow anybody else to direct him what to do. He has so much pride to allow such things. But then…

Her eyes drifted to Yanagi, who was now busy brewing coffee.

_She is the complete replica of his sister._ _If it was her who would ask…_

She blocked out the rest of the words in her mind, knowing already that Tokiya's attitude towards the girl is far more different than the attitude he was showing the rest of the gang.

"Speaking of which," Kagero suddenly brought her back from her short oblivion. "Could you please take this bag of fertilizer to Tokiya. Tell him to put these after he finished plowing the soil." She said, then handed Fuuko a three kilo bag of fertilizer.

Carrying the heavy bag on both arms, she made her way towards the backyard; too shock to even protest from the weight of the bag given to her.

_Damn! Can't this bag get any heavier? It feels like I'm carrying a boulder of rock and not a three kilo fertilizer. Is this thing really supposed to be this heavy? _She thought to herself as she entered the backyard and looked for Tokiya.

"Hey Mi-chan! Kagero said—" her voice slowly faded and she almost dropped the bag she was carrying when her eyes set upon Tokiya.

There he was, probably unaware of her presence, tilling a small area located at the far corner of the backyard. It might be a typical scene. After all, how could one cultivate a field? But this scene is far from typical because it has Tokiya Mikagami in it without his shirt, busily tilling the area and completely unaware that the sweat and the light from the sun is making his body glisten like a god. She had never seen him like this before and god knows he has the body to accompany his looks and match his brains.

Suddenly, without Fuuko expecting it to happen, he stopped from what he was doing and look up to her direction. At that instant, a few meters away from each other, cold baby blue eyes met dazed dark blue ones and those eyes' impact on her made her gasp and swiftly withdraw her gaze from them.

_Shit!_

She could feel her cheeks redden, either from being caught staring at him or from the impact of those eyes, she don't know. All she knows is that a dead silence followed after that encounter and she could still feel his eyes on her. It was making her uncomfortable, really uncomfortable and she's having the urge to pluck out his eyes and bury them so she shouldn't have to experience such uneasiness.

Finally realizing that Tokiya would never be the one to break the silence, for he's the one who usually start it himself, she decided to summon the courage to speak up.

"Anou… Kagero-san… told me to bring you this and tell you to put it on the soil after you finished tilling it." she murmured, surprisingly loud enough for Tokiya to hear, yet, her eyes still couldn't meet his.

She was, actually, expecting him to taunt her about what happened and tell her that he doesn't want a monkey to join his fans club. She waited for a few seconds and was quite surprised when he remained silent during the whole time.

"I'll just leave them here then." She once again broke the silence and bent down to place the fertilizer on the ground.

"Bring it here." His voice stopped her in mid-action and made her look up to him, only to see him still staring at her.

Fuuko's embarrassment suddenly faded from her system when she heard the sudden authority in his voice, yet, she just found her self following whatever it is that he said.

She reached the place he was standing at and she was at the verge of placing the bag on the ground so she can leave but his stern voice once stopped her actions.

"Carry it." he commanded before setting back to work.

This time, Fuuko's control completely snapped and the end up shouting at Tokiya, the embarrassment from the earlier encounter completely wiped out of her system.

"And what do you expect me to do! Stand here and watch you with these heavy bags in my hands!" her voice rose as well as the annoyance she was feeling for the hokage swordsman.

"Yes." He curtly replied, not even wasting time and energy to look up at her.

"For you information Mr. Egoistic Iceblock, I'm not your slave that you could just order around and carry stuffs for you!" she shouted at him, suddenly having the urge to throw the heavy bag of fertilizers smack on his face.

This time, she didn't hear any retort coming from him, which pissed her even more.

"Alright, that's it. I'm leaving." She said, her tone voicing out finality as she place the bag on the ground and turned around to leave.

One step, two, three, four…

_After the fifth one, I'm totally out of here…_

But just as she was about to take her fifth step, she heard Tokiya's cold voice break the silence that surrounded them.

"You're not leaving…" his tone rose a few decibels higher than his usually tone, annoyed or not.

This made her stop on her tracks and audibly gasp the moment his voice reached her ears. He never raised his voice. Even though they annoy him so much that he can't wait to murder them, he never raised his voice. Not only that, his voice was so cold that Fuuko almost shivered in her place. It was as if he was suppressing something deep with in him that she couldn't put a finger on.

"You heard what I said and I'm not going to repeat it again." his voice once again broke her line of thoughts before she heard the shovel being dug into the ground.

She should be annoyed. If it was just somebody else, she would have given him a taste of her fist or two. But nobody probably have such coldness in his voice that it would make any annoyance vanish from her system and make her give in to what he just said. And give in, she did, tracing her steps back and settling her self on top of the fence a few steps away from where he was.

"Aren't you going to carry the bag?" his cold voice asked, almost mocking her.

"In your dreams." She retorted before choosing to let herself fall in silence.

She watched him from her place, working with the shovel to till the soil for Kagero. She watched his face and searched for anything, anything she could find on those pale, yet, perfectly chiseled face. She stared at his eyes, those baby blue pools, and searched for any emotions, anything, that would tell her what he was thinking and what he was feeling. But she found none…

_Mi-chan…_

She almost felt sorry for him as soon as she remembered his past. Among them, he was the one who had gone through so many difficulties in his life. His parents died when he was still in a very early age and his sister was the only one left to take care of him. However, in front of his very eyes, her life was taken and he had to train under the very nose of the one who planned her death just to have him master the ensui. All of this robbed him of any emotions and made him so cold to people. He would never open up to anyone and would never feel anything for anyone.

And then she came… the complete replica of his sister, the only one among them whom he showed a little warmth. It was only to her that he gave one of his very rare smiles, even though it was only a mere twitch of the side of his lips. It was only her who doesn't have to suffer the cold shoulder that he gave each of us. And it was only her who made him fight; even risk his life, without even thinking of himself.

Then a realization dawned to her… something that might be possible yet she could bring herself to ask the question in her mind. Maybe she is scared on his possible reaction… or maybe, just maybe, she feels scared on what he would answer. Still, she decided to give it a try.

Summoning all her courage, she tightened her hold on the fence she was sitting at and voice out the question in her head.

"Are you in love with Yanagi?"

She held her breath as soon as the question was out of her mouth. Slowly, she watched as he stopped from what he was doing and looked at her. Cold and indifferent baby blue met curious and anxious dark blue and time seemed to cease.

* * *

a/n: well, what do you think? hope it isn't lame or anything... and hope you guys like this chapter... please don't forget to read and review! tnx guys!


	3. Chapter 3

well, here it is... sorry for the long delay... hehehe! actually, i already uploaded this chapter but due to the review that i recieved from obsessed dreamer about the grammar thingy that was detected, i decided to upload this again... hehehe! thanks for pointing that one out! really thanks!

well, for those who still haven't read this chapter, hope you guys enjoy!

i really had a hard time writing this one so i hope you guys like this chap!

disclaimer: well, i don't own FoR because if i did, i would have put a romance between tokiya and fuuko... still, i don't own it... (sigh)...

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**Chapter 3**

_Summoning all her courage, she tightened her hold on the fence she was sitting at and voice out the question in her head._

"_Are you in love with Yanagi?"_

_She held her breath as soon as the question was out of her mouth. Slowly, she watched as he stopped from what he was doing and looked at her. Cold and indifferent baby blue met curious and anxious dark blue and time seemed to cease._

* * *

He looked at her, carefully keeping his own emotions in check, searching for anything that would tell him why she suddenly brought the question up. He could see her; almost feel her, holding her breath in curious anticipation.

He let out the sigh he didn't recognize he was holding before withdrawing his gaze and placing his head on his hand. What was he suppose to answer to that? Not that he was confused of his feelings or something.

Yanagi was something special and it isn't because of the certain physical likeness she has with his sister. It was far more than that. She may not be as beautiful as the other girls but she has the heart to make up for it. She's kind and gentle and her fondness to teach in the kindergarten was something that could lure the attention of any man. Her willingness to sacrifice herself just for the sake of Hokage this last tournament just added to her, already overflowing qualities.

_And she's also totally devoted to Recca…_

This thought made his jaw tighten in remorse.

No, it wasn't remorse for Recca. It was actually more to the fact that he couldn't tell or show her how he really feels. It was more to the fact that if she was trapped or kidnapped once again, she wouldn't be waiting for him but for her devoted ninja. Besides, seeing her happy and as long as Recca was keeping his promise, he can't see any reason why he has to butt in and spoil everything.

"You know what," the feminine voice of his companion suddenly broke his line of thoughts and made him look at her, still sitting on the fence with her bangs covering her face.

He waited for her to continue but instead, she jumped from the fence and landed gracefully on the ground just a few feet away from him. Slowly, he watched as she lifted her face only to have him see that her facial expression had suddenly changed. From the confused look she gave him a while ago, her face now showed something different, something that he wasn't used to seeing at all. Yes, she was still smiling, more of smirking actually, but there was something in her eyes that changed, yet he couldn't put a finger on it, probably because of the fact that she was suddenly having a hard time meeting his gaze.

_What the hell is wrong with her?_

Before his mind could even take in more of her facial expression and study it further to get the answer to his question, she was suddenly facing sideways, towards the door that would lead her back in the main house.

"When it comes to Yanagi," He heard her say as he watched as she slowly placed her hands at the back of her head and started walking away. "your face looks different from its usual stoic façade."

His eyes slightly widened at the statement she gave. Was he that visible? Surely his face couldn't have shown the emotions he was hiding from everybody else? That was exactly the reason why he placed his head on his hands a while ago after she asked him 'the' question.

As if to answer him, he heard her voice once again from the door leading to the interior of the house.

"You don't have to answer me, really." He heard her say as he watched her open the door, her back facing him. "It was written all over your face a while ago. Don't worry, I won't say a word."

Then she was gone and all that he could see was the door staring mockingly at him.

Shaking his head in order to remove the image of a purple haired girl from his mind, he gave the door one last glance and continued the work he left off.

After a few more minutes, he was finally able to finish tilling the ground and decided to go back in the house. Just as he entered the living room, he heard a loud exclamation coming from the kitchen.

"Mou! That was really rude! Wait till they get back here! I swear I'm going to pound them into tiny pieces!" the voice, which he eventually realized belong to Fuuko, came from the kitchen.

Curiously, he slowly made his way towards the kitchen and found her tearing a piece of paper furiously. He let his eyes linger around the room to observe his surroundings only to find it quite unusually empty.

"Where is everybody?" he asked, not minding the fact that Fuuko might even be too furious to answer.

"Where is everybody!" she shouted, turning around to glare at him. "You really want to know where they are! They went out to buy some groceries to dinner and they didn't even bother to tell us! They didn't even cook food for our lunch!"

He stared at her enraged face, almost amused by the way her face blushed from too much shouting.

"We're stuck here! I swear, when I see those morons, I'm going to kill the then bring them to life only to kill them again!" she continued, her fist clenched in anger and seems like ready to break the table into pieces.

"Quit being so loud. If we're going to be stuck here then you better shut up." He said, shaking his head from annoyance before making his way towards the living room.

She seems to have understood what he meant for her didn't hear any sound of protest coming from her as he leave the room. just as he was about to sit on one of the sofa, he heard her call him fro behind.

"Mi-chan," he heard her voice and almost instantly, he turned around to meet her gaze. "here." He heard her whisper as a towel was pushed into his hands. "Kagero asked me to give this to you after."

He took the towel and looked at her. She was far more different from the girl he was talking to outside a few minutes ago. It was as if she was back to the same jolly old Fuuko that everyone knew. Not that he care, actually. He was just too observant for his own good.

Shrugging his shoulders, he went back to the sofa and relaxed against the softness that waffled from it. He saw her sit on a chair adjacent from where he was sitting and watched her as she slacked against he cushions.

Deciding to ignore her until the rest arrives; he proceeded on whipping himself with the towel she handed him a while ago. After a few more minutes of deafening silence, he suddenly heard her murmur something, probably to herself, but with his good hearing capabilities, he was able to catch her words.

"Every girl has their own prince…" she murmured dreamily, causing him to look at her curiously.

He found her holding a magazine on her lap and, probably, reading through a title of an article from the page.

His brows furrowed at what he heard then suddenly remembered that night when he brought her to her room and murmured something similar to what she just said. Before a rational thought had even registered in his mind and before he could even think of what he was doing, he suddenly found himself asking her the question that unconsciously bothered him that same night.

"Who's your prince?" he asked, his eyes not leaving hers as she slowly lifted her face and meet his gaze with surprise written all over it.

* * *

"What?" she asked the moment the question registered in her mind.

_How did he know about him?_

She watched him as his eyes faltered a bit as if he was silently cursing himself for doing something stupid. Well, asking her bluntly like that really is stupid if you ask her. But whatever it is that had triggered him to ask her such question, she doesn't know.

"Forget it." He said, sending shivers to run down her spine. Really now, this guy needs to stop freezing people with his words, otherwise, she'll end up frozen before she could even think of an answer to give him.

Then, suddenly, it hit her, as if a solid rock hitting her square on the head. Why didn't she notice it earlier?

"Is this your way to get even with me because of what happened a while ago?" she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring slightly at the man seated adjacent to her.

She waited for him to say something but he just remained silent, sitting in his glorious splendor and acting as if she didn't say anything at all. Really now, what is wrong with him and how did he find out about her 'prince'? Surely she hasn't told anyone about him. Nobody even knew what transpired between them during that time when he saved her from the water trap during the UBS. So how did he know about Raiha?

Finally, when she couldn't take the silence longer and when she couldn't bear to keep her mouth shut knowing that the guy sitting adjacent from her knows something that she hadn't told anyone, she decided to break the silence herself and demand to know the answers to her questions.

"How did you know about that?" she asked, frowning a bit and intent on prying the answers from him.

Still, she got silence as an answer. She waited for a few more moments, watched him as he sipped from the bottle of water he placed on the table a while ago.

"Really now, it wouldn't hurt you if you just tell me how you found out about Raiha." She said just to break the silence once again.

However, it was as if something in what she said triggered something inside Tokiya. The next instant she knew, she heard a loud thud of the bottle mineral water on the center table and an enraged Tokiya was pinning her against the soft back rest of the sofa she was sitting at. Her eyes closed, not just from the surprise she had but also from the painful grip he has on her shoulders.

She opened her eyes only to be greeted by an annoyed and raging pair of baby blue eyes. There was so much emotions in those deep pools, something that she had never seen before, and was that anger she's seeing?

"I told you, forget about it." she heard him hiss between his teeth, his eyes never leaving hers.

The next instant she knew, he was walking away from her towards his room, the bottle of water placed on the center table and the towel he used a while ago, long forgotten on the floor. She was still dazed from what happened, her face still looking at nothing in particular. The only thing that brought her out of this state was the loud banging of the door across the hallway.

_What the hell happened? Why did he suddenly act like that?_

Suddenly, her own rage taking over her, she stood up from her seat and made her way towards the hallway to locate Tokiya's bedrrom. As soon as she did, she banged her fist on the wooden door, not really bothering the fact that he wouldn't answer it anyway.

"Mikagami! Open the god damn door! You've got some explaining to do!" she yelled as her fist continued banging against the door.

Just as expected, she didn't hear anything from the other side of the door, nor did she hear the lock of his room opening to let her in.

"Mi-chan! If you don't open this door, I'm opening it myself and I swear I don't mind breaking it!"

Still, nothing. Taking in a deep breath, she charged for the door, only to see it open the last instant. However, it was already too late to stop her self, making her stumble into his room and drop rather harshly on the carpeted floor.

"What do you think you're doing, monkey?" she heard him ask, making her collect herself from the floor and look the direction where she heard his voice, only to see him still poised by the door and looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

_The nerve of this guy!_

"What the hell just happened back there!" she demanded, striding towards him. "You have a lot of explaining to do!"

Instead of answering her, she saw him close the door and walk towards his bed, sitting with so much pride that just irked her even more.

"What? Are you just going to sit there?" she said, walking up to him and glaring down at him.

"Yes." He answered without much of a glance at her.

"Why you insufferable bastard!" she fumed, ready to strike him only to find herself trapped by those baby blue eyes once again and his hands holding her wrist firmly.

The next instant she knew, something soft and warm was pressed firmly against her lips, cutting off any words that she still wanted to say. Her eyes widen at the realization that hit her.

Her first kiss.

Tokiya Mikagami.

Abruptly, she pulled herself away from his grasp and raised her hand to strike him across the face. The silence was then, shattered by the loud sound of her palm hitting his smooth face. She saw him wince a little from the impact, his head thrown to the side with the force that her hand brought.

A tensed silence surrounded them after that. She brought her hand down and watched him from her place. She could see her fingers etched on the side of his face with a red mark, his eyes closed and his breathing even. He doesn't even seem affected by the force of the slap she had just given him and this only deepened the glare that she was already giving him.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" she asked when she realized that he will remain in that position unless she do something.

She saw him open his eyes and turn his face to meet her eyes. This time, emotionless baby blue eyes met with fiery dark blue ones and the tension between them intensified.

"I deserve that." He said walking pass her towards the window.

Angrily, she turned around and glared at his back, suddenly having the urge to stab him and kill him right then and there. First, he pinned her against the sofa in the living room, grasping and hurting her shoulder in the process, without even a clear reason why, then the next he kissed her out of nowhere then act like nothing happened at all. Just what the hell is wrong with him? He was acting rather strangely towards her since the moment he entered the house a while ago after he had finished in the garden.

"Is that all you're going to say!" she demanded, her fist clenched at her sides and her patience thinning with every second that pass.

She glared at him as he slowly turned his head to look at her.

"Should there be more?" his gaze bored into her, as if daring her to react to his statement.

She should have punched him right then and there then let him taste the fury of her fuujin. She should have beaten him to death, ignoring the fact that she would be hurting and deforming his perfectly chiseled face. But she didn't. Instead, she stood there, gathered all her patience to calm her down and when she finally did, she gave him one last look and turned towards the door. She reached for the door knob and opened the door but before finally stepping out of the room, she turned to him once again.

"You know what," she said, surprised that she was able to sound so cold even for her liking, but she didn't care. "you're right. Let's forget this."

And with that, she stepped out of the room without much of another glance, and closed the door behind her.

* * *

well? what do you think? did you like it?

hmmm... wonder what tokiya feels now eh? well, don't worry, it would be explained in the next chapter... hehehe!

oh and don't even think that i forgot bout you guys...

for those who reviewed my stories, especially this one, thank you so much!

please do read and review!

till the next chap!


	4. Chapter 4

a/n: hey guys!!! here's the fourth installment for frost... sorry it took a long time to update this one... i kinda got lost along the story format... hehehe!!! but hey! i'm back on track and i hope you guys like this chapter... alhtough i have to admit, this isn't one of my best chap... i kinda liked the chap where fuuko asked mi-chan about yanagi!!! hehehe!!! well,, enjoy!!! and please dont forget to read and review!!!!

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Chapter 4**

RRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGGG!!!!!

Suddenly waking up from the sound of the alarm, she hastily jerked out from her bed and eyed the infuriating alarm clock placed just right next to her on the night stand. Sleepily, she tried to get her still blurry vision to focus on the arms of the clock and read the time.

7:50. The clock read 7:50.

"Oh my god!!! I'm going to be late!!! Again!!!!" she screamed on top of her lungs as she quickly pulled herself off the bed and ran straight into the bathroom to take a quick bath.

Ten minutes later, she was running like a crazed lunatic on the streets, trying so hard to reach the school gates in a matter of five minutes. The moment she reached the school gates, she was surprised when she saw Yanagi walking leisurely together with Recca. But that wasn't what surprised her. What surprised her was the fact that they were walking as if there's still an hour left to spend before the bell rings.

"Yanagi! Recca!" she called out, dashing towards her friends, almost ready to grab the two and dash towards the school building.

"My, my, aren't you early today, Fuuko." She heard Recca ask while she stood before them to catch her breath.

"What do you mean early? It's already late! We're going to be late for class!" she shouted, not really caring that other students might hear them. After all, it was something ordinary already during early mornings.

"What do you mean late?" this time, it was Yanagi's so calm and so smooth voice that she heard. "It's only six o'clock. Recca's right Fuuko, you're—"

Before she could even finish her sentence, she had already grabbed Yanagi's wrist where her watch was wrapped around her petite arms. True enough, Yanagi's clock only read six o'clock.

Before she could even drop Yanagi's hand, her cell phone beeped and she hastily rummaged through her bag in search for it.

"Where in the bloody hell is it?" she exclaimed, digging into her bag and hoping to feel the phone with her hands.

"What? Can't find it?" Recca sneered and she was starting to have the urge of throwing the phone right at Recca's face when she finds it, rather, if she finds it.

Really now, maybe she should at least try to organize her things so that she could easily find what she needs with ease.

"Come on, hime." Recca's voice once again drifted to her ears. "Leave her there. It will take a whole lot of time before she finds it. It's a jungle in there."

His last sentence finally brought her full attention to Recca, striking a nerve and making her forget about her search for her cell phone.

Angrily, she raised her head, only to see Recca dragging Yanagi away and droning on and on about her lack of ability to organize her things.

The nerve of that guy, talking like he was so organized! Hell, he was even worst that her!

"You should have seen her room." Recca's faint voice continued, as she watched them walk away from her. "It's so messy you can't even see the floor anymore. Her clothes, her underwear, they are all scattered everywhere!"

That does it! With a strangled cry, Fuuko raised her hand and lurched toward Recca, not even remembering to close her bag in the process.

"RREECCAA!!!!" she cried as she brought her hand down and before he could even react, smacked her bag right on top of Recca's head, splattering all the contents of her bag on the ground in the process.

She paused for a few minutes, trying to catch her breath and even out her breathing. When she did, she opened her eyes and saw Recca sprawled on the ground with a large lump on his head while Yanagi was kneeling beside him and trying to wake him up.

"Mou, Fuuko, you didn't have to hit him so hard." Yanagi said, nudging the fallen flame caster and trying to heal the lump on his head.

"He deserves that Yanagi." She exclaimed, fighting the urge to kick Recca in front of Yanagi or throw her bag at him just to even out what he did to her.

It was only after the thought passed her mind did she realized that her bag was too light, so light that it seems to be empty.

Out of curiosity, she raised her bag to eye level only to realize that it was indeed empty. Glancing around her, she saw her things scattered only a few steps away from where Recca was lying unconscious.

"There it is!" she exclaimed, running towards her things when she noticed her cell phone lying on top of a pile of notebooks.

Quickly, she went towards it and sprawled on the ground, reading the SMS that she received a while ago.

_Nee-chan, Ganko here. Where you early for school today? LoL I adjusted your clock so I could help you get to school early!!!_

"Damn that kid! I'm going to kill her when I get home!" she exclaimed, clutching her cell phone in one hand.

"Why? What did Ganko do?" Yanagi asked, pulling Recca up and assisting him to stand.

"That brat adjusted my clock forty-five minutes early! Imagine the pain I have to go through thinking that I was late already!" she continued, silently imagining the things that she'll do to Ganko when she returns home.

"Look at the positive side." Recca's voice stopped her train of thoughts. "At least, you weren't late for school."

"Still—"

"Why don't you just pick up your things before thinking of ways to murder that kid?" Recca suggested. "Go on. Take you time Fuuko. Besides, we still have to wait here for Domon. Hopefully, the moron isn't late or else, he would miss our daily ritual at the rooftop."

Little by little, she picked up her things, organizing them in her bag in the process.

Their morning ritual at the rooftop was something that they started and practiced ever since they came back from the UBS. Every morning, they would gather at the rooftop and spend the morning there until the bell rings, signaling the start of classes. They would gather again during lunch break and spend lunch together.

Originally, all of them was there but since Fuuko and Domon are rarely on time and Tokiya never went there again, Recca and Yanagi were usually left to spend it on their own, something that they wouldn't mind for sure.

"Hey, look, it's Mikagami." Recca broke her line of thoughts, causing her to abruptly lift her head and look at the direction of the school gate entrance.

Her eyes widen, whether from surprise or the sudden surge of anger, she doesn't know rather, she doesn't even want to acknowledge. Seeing him walking there in all his splendor glory only ignited the fury she was feeling and triggered the memory that was the cause of it all.

To avoid the confrontation that she doesn't want to face, she forgot about arranging her things and threw all those that are still scattered on the ground in her bag. Then she quickly got up, dusts herself and turned her back on the entrance gate. She could feel Yanagi and Recca's questioning gaze on her so she refused to look at them. Also, she doesn't want to drag them into the conflict that she and Tokiya has.

"I'll just wait for you at the rooftop." She stated firmly, her voice clearly telling Recca and Yanagi that she doesn't want any questions asked. "I forgot that I still have to go somewhere first."

And with that, she walked away, not even daring to look back, especially when she heard Yanagi's faint greeting towards the ensui wielder.

* * *

"Ohayo, Mikagami-sempai." He heard Yanagi utter upon entering the school gates.

He looked at her direction and saw that Recca was just standing behind Yanagi. He felt his heart clench a little every time he sees the two together but he could sense that he has no place between them, especially when Yanagi was the one who chose. And this is solely the main reason why he chooses to be quiet and discreet about his feelings for the girl.

Looking at Recca, he noticed that he was staring at something, or rather someone, ahead of them. Out of curiosity, he followed his gaze and saw Fuuko walking away from the group.

Despite her back facing him, he could sense the anger she was feeling, most likely, towards him. He could sense it by the way her back looks so rigid and the way her hand was clutching her bag in a death grip.

He couldn't blame her though. With the way he acted that weekend at Kagero's house, even he would have kicked himself if it was possible. The reason behind his actions? He doesn't know. He didn't even know why the fact that she just called Raiha her 'prince' sent him over the edge. It's not like he give a damn about it. He shouldn't give a damn about it. Aside from the fact that Raiha is an Uruha and she is a Hokage, he really shouldn't care about it at all. Hell, she could even have a relationship with Kurei and he shouldn't even move a muscle upon hearing about it, much more, give a damn about it.

But what really pisses him off is the fact that he knows he shouldn't but he does. Even though he would rather commit suicide than admit it even to himself, there is still this tiny place in his head, as small as a grain of sand even, that tells him that he does care. And it is this tiny place in his head that drove him to kiss her.

His first kiss.

Even though it lasted for only a second, it still managed to stay in his head and remember the feeling, making it linger on his lips. He couldn't seem to find a way to forget the way her lips felt so soft against his and the way they seem to taste like strawberries and cream, despite the way he burry himself on his books and studies just so as not to think about the kiss and her 'prince'.

"_Who's your prince?"_

It was the question that started it all and the kiss ended everything.

'Ended what?' he asked himself, frowning in confusion in the process.

"Hey, are you even listening to what we're telling you?" Recca's voice broke the line of thoughts he was beginning to regret.

"Like I said before, I never agreed to spend time on the rooftop with a bunch of monkeys." He said coldly, fighting the tinge of embarrassment that was starting to creep from his guts for being caught spacing out like that.

"Eh?" Recca asked, confused. "How do you do that? For a while back there, I know that you are not listening to what I was saying. I could never do anything like that."

"Of course you can't. Sea monkeys don't have the brain to process such complicated task." He said coldly before starting to leave.

"Why you insufferable iceman!" he heard Recca exclaim and he could even imagine him clenching his fist, poised to strike.

'As if he can hit me' he thought letting a smirk fall on his face.

"Recca-kun, please calm down." He heard Yanagi's soft voice calm the flame caster. "Mikagami-sempai?"

Upon hearing his name pass the lips of the Hokage healer, he stopped walking and turned to look at her.

"Please come with us to the rooftop today." And before he could even say no, he found himself being assaulted with her puppy dog eyes.

Heaving out a deep sigh, he found himself agreeing before being dragged along with the flame caster towards the rooftop.

The moment he entered the rooftop, his eyes immediately fell on the sole occupant of the place, leaning against the metal railings with her back against them.

'I knew I shouldn't have come.'

"Oi, Fuuko!" he heard Recca shout before he could even find a way to sneak out and avoid the uncomfortable confrontation with the Fuujin wielder.

Putting up his usual cold façade, he watched as the Fuujin wielder turned around, a smile plastered on her face, as she looked at Recca and returned his greeting with a peace sign.

"oi, Recca! What took you so long?!" she said, her eyes darting towards Recca's companions.

As soon as her eyes landed on him, he saw her look change from a friendly gaze to a deadly glare. He also noticed her lips, the very same lips that he had kissed, which were curved into a smile when she greeted Recca and Yanagi turn into a grim line.

Whether Recca or Yanagi noticed this, he doesn't know. all he knows is that they were bound to know soon is Fuuko were to explode.

"Look who we found on our way here." Recca said pointing to his direction.

For the first time since that day at Kagero's house, he met Fuuko's gaze and almost regretted the action once he saw the anger blazing on her eyes as they seem to bore holes into his body.

'If only looks could kill, I'll be dead minutes ago.' He thought to himself but didn't bother to tear his gaze from her. He would never back down from a glaring battle and surely he would never back down now, especially if it was her challenging him.

It was her who tear her gaze away and turned her back towards him, watching the other students below who were just entering the school gates.

"What?" Recca asked, sounding a little bit confused and looking at him and Fuuko then back again. "Is there something going on between you two? You're both acting strange."

"What do you mean Recca-kun?" Yanagi asked, looking at them strangely.

"Well, at this moment, Fuuko should be pestering the life out of Mikagami or they should be engaging in a verbal battle right now and not being so… silent and… normal?" Recca explained and it was after his explanation did he see Fuuko push himself away from the railing and walked towards the exit.

"I still have to do some homework." She said, walking pass him and opening the doors that will lead to the staircase.

Right after she closed the door behind her, he heard Recca comment, "Mou, what is wrong with her today? Oi, are you sure you didn't do anything to her?" Recca asked him.

"None of you business." He spat out soldly before turning around to leave the rooftop.

As soon as he landed on the last flight of steps that would lead him to his floor, he turned right and decided to head straight to his room. Just then, he felt somebody bump into him quite hard, causing him to lose his balance and stumble backwards. With his quick reflexes, his hands instantly darted towards the person's elbows and steadied themselves.

When he looked down, he saw a mob of purple hair, which was instantly replaced by a pair of deep blue eyes widening in surprise.

Almost immediately, he found himself being pushed away from her and he have to steady himself once again.

"What the hell is your problem?" he almost shouted at her.

He looked up to glare at Fuuko only to be met by her blazing eyes.

"Funny," she started. "that was exactly the same question I asked you last weekend." She said coldly, glaring him down.

"I don't have time for this." He said, returning the glare.

"Of course. You're too mighty and too perfect that you won't even acknowledge you own mistakes."

"We agreed to forget about that."

"Sure." She said, closing her eyes and starting to walk pass him.

As soon as she was just beside him, he heard her say coldly, "I could forget but I don't think I could ever forgive."

And with that, she was gone, leaving him standing there and letting her words sink in.

'Damn!' he hissed under his breath before walking away, not even bothering to look back.

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well??? what do you think??? sorry if it wasn't that good...

but hey, good or not, i still want to hear what you guys think! so please don't forget to review!!! please!!! tnx guys!!!


	5. Chapter 5

sorry for updating just now... read on guys!!! hope you like it!!!

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Chapter 5:**

If there was one situation she never wants to be in, it's when she's sitting beside the one person she hates the most while her friends sat at the opposite side of the table ready to pry the truth out of her, even if it means having to suffer her wrath later on.

And that is exactly the same reason why she's suddenly having the thought of bolting right out of the ice cream parlor they are in and make sure to never believe a word Recca tells her especially if it involves him treating her to ice cream. God knows it would take the world to end before he could even to treat her to ice cream.

_So why in the bloody hell did I believe him, this time?! God, I am so stupid!!!_

"So? What really is going on here?" Recca asked, his gaze darting from her to Tokiya sitting stoically beside her.

"What do you mean?" she said, trying to feign innocence.

She knows exactly what he means. She hadn't been speaking to Tokiya for almost a month now ever since their last encounter, which didn't exactly turn out to be anything but good. Not to mention, she had constantly tried to avoid any contact with him, physical or not. Hell, she can't even bear to be in the same place as he is. He'd rather jump over the top of the building rather than be in twenty radius of his presence. Only a fool will not notice what she had been doing and it seems that the rest of the gang isn't.

"Come on, Fuuko!" Recca exclaimed, almost feeling frustrated by the way the conversation was going to. "Something's going on and don't even try to act so innocent about this! You two avoid each other like plague and we want to know why!"

With this, she felt silent, not really knowing how to answer Recca's question. Answering his question would mean telling them about the stupid questions they threw at each other at Kagero's house and they would have to tell them about the kiss. At this moment, these are the two things that they just want to keep to themselves as much as possible.

Tokiya might have been thinking of the same thing as her for he kept silent the whole time and when she decided to look at him from the corner of her eyes, she saw him, arms crossed in front of his chest, his eyes closed and looking like a craved statue.

The silence continued until such time that Recca broke the silence once again.

"So?" he inquired, hoping that they would tell them what has been going on. "Aren't you going to give us even a wee bit of information just so we have a clue as to why the two of you would rather kill yourselves than be in the same room together?" he said, his voice rising a few decibels higher so that he was practically shouting and pulling his hair out when he finished the sentence.

If she wasn't the one sitting on the chair of inquiry, she would have laughed her heart out at the sight of her friend practically about to kill him self for having to be put in a situation where he's facing two of the most stubborn people ever made.

But she was on the chair of inquiry and she can't find the heart to laugh at whatever antics her friend is going to pull just to get them to talk. People might not understand. They might even think that it wasn't such a big deal but for her, it meant a lot. She has a reputation as the toughest girl in school for god's sake. Tough girls don't get to be kissed by campus crush. Tough girls beat the hell out of campus crush before he could even take a glance at her.

"Guys, stop this okay." She finally sighed, looking straight at her three closest friends sitting across from them. "Whatever is the cause of all this is just between this ice cold jerk and me." She gestured towards Tokiya and, although she didn't even bother to look at him, she could tell that he was sending daggers her way for addressing him as an ice cold jerk, which, she thinks, he really is.

"But Fuuko, we don't want to see you two this way. We're friends, remember?" she said, her eyes almost pleading them.

"Are you even sure that he wants to be friends with us?" she asked, taking a sideway glance at Tokiya. "As far as I could remember, he's just here because of the complete replica of his sister. And that's you, Yanagi." She finished, gesturing towards Yanagi and earning a blush from the naïve girl.

"You don't know what you're talking about." She heard a mutter from beside her.

"Really? Then tell me I'm wrong then." She mocked, fully facing him now and challenging him to defy her.

She stared, long and hard, wishing that he would just drop dead right on his seat. She searched his baby blue orbs for something, anything that would tell her that he was resenting everything that happened.

But there was none.

All she could see was a pair of baby blue orbs, staring defiantly at her… and nothing more.

Immediately, she withdrew her gaze and glared at nothing while thinking that if people say the eyes are the windows to the human's soul, wait till they take a look at Tokiya's eyes.

_There was nothing there. Just… empty… cold…_

"Please, guys, stop this." Yanagi interrupted once again.

"Hime's right, you know." Recca agreed, looking at us seriously. "If don't want to tell us what the hell happened, then at least stop this stupidity. It's affecting us whether you like it or not, because like it or not, we're you're friends." He said, particularly stressing the last sentence while looking at Tokiya.

"I'm really sorry guys. I really am." She said, lowering her head and playing with the melted ice cream in front of her.

"We know Fuuko." This time, Domon decided not to be his usual self and help Recca and Yanagi to fix their problem. "That's why we're leaving you two here to talk about everything calmly." He announced, as Recca and Yanagi walked away from the table towards the exit.

"What?!" she exclaimed, standing abruptly from her seat and trying to grab the sniggering Recca.

However, she was stopped by Domon and before she could even blink, she was back on her seat once again. she felt Tokiya rising from his seat and getting ready to escape their current predicament but Domon's arms immediately shot forward and, without even thinking that he might kill him any minute, grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back on his seat.

"Get your hands off me." Tokiya warned, his voice clearly stating that he's ready to kill anytime now.

Upon receiving that look, she noticed Domon cowering and taking a step back. Immediately, Yanagi stepped in front of Domon and looked at the two of them with her oh-so-famous puppy-dog-eyes.

"Just talk about it okay. In a civilized manner." And with that, she turned around and left followed by Recca and Domon.

"Oh! By the way," Recca exclaimed before completely leaving the place. "Don't even try to cheat because we would know if you do and Hime promised not to talk to you ever if you do."

And with that, she glared furiously as the three of them exited the ice cream parlor with an evil glare written on their faces.

_And here I am thinking that they would just leave us alone!_

Silence followed for she doesn't know how long. All she knows is that there is a hanging tension between the air around them and she would have to do something before they both age there.

Without saying another word, she gathered her things and prepared to leave, not really caring for the reaction of the person sitting beside her. she stood up but before she could step away from the table, she felt him grab her wrist and pulled her back, making her stumble on the seat.

"What the hell is your problem?!" she lashed out angrily, jerking her wrist free from his grasp.

"Stay put." He said, rather, commanded her to do so.

"And who are you to tell me what to do?!" she continued shouting at him, ignoring the attention that they are gaining from the other occupants of the ice cream parlor.

"Stop acting like a child." She heard him hiss under his breath, probably controlling his own emotions.

And although she wouldn't admit it, she did, and decided to settle quietly beside him. Slowly, she turned her head to look at Tokiya.

His eyes were closed and he seems to be in very deep thought. Before she could even ask him what the hell he was thinking about, he turned to look at her and their eyes met once again, dark blue against baby blue, and, despite the way she denied it, the world suddenly stopped.

* * *

He didn't know how long he stared at her. He didn't even know why he was staring at her and not telling her the coherent sentences he formed in his mind to go about their dilemma without having her lashing out on him and embarrass both of them in front of all the people. All that he was currently aware of is the way her eyes was glaring at him defiantly and yet he can't seem to take his eyes off her, even if it means he would earn suspicion from doing so. 

No matter how much he kept denying himself for these past few weeks, the way she was ignoring him was slowly bothering him, affecting him even in a way that he didn't want to. Without him knowing it, he was starting to unconsciously search for her presence as he walks along the corridors while being extra sensitive listening to the voices around him, hoping that he would hear her voice calling out to him by that stupid nickname she gave him.

Slowly, his gaze unconsciously lowered to her rosy lips and he found himself recalling that day when his own lips was able to relish the feel of their softness.

"So," the movement of her lips finally brought him out of his oblivion. "are you just going to stare at me all day or are we going to get this over with?"

He withdrew his gaze from her and fixed his gaze on the view from the window beside him.

"Oh, so now you're going to ignore me after stopping me from leaving a while ago? If you didn't want to talk, then you could have let me leave."

He didn't say anything but he didn't feel her leave either. He was silently organizing his thoughts, thinking of how he was going to say those two words he had been meaning to say to her. If saying those words would make her treat her the way she did before. If it would make her say that stupid nickname she gave him. If it would make him stop feeling his surrounding for her presence, then he might as well spit those words out and get this whole thing over with.

"I'm sorry." He muttered under his breath, hoping that the ground just swallow him or a thunder would strike him right at the head and kill him, right then and there.

"What?" she said, her face mirroring confusion.

He let out a frustrated sigh. He should have known she wouldn't make things easier.

"I said, I'm sorry." He hissed under his breath, swearing that if the monkey made him repeat it once more, he would surely strangle her neck. He was stooping so low now, the least she could do is to pretend that she heard him!

"You're apologizing?" she asked in disbelief, completely facing him and waiting for him to confirm what she just heard.

"NO." he replied sarcastically before turning to fix a glare on her. "What do you think?"

"Wow." She exclaimed, settling comfortably on the seat beside him. "That's new. The all mighty Tokiya Mikagami is apologizing to the school tomboy Fuuko Kirisawa. Pigs must be flying."

Silence followed after that with him refusing to talk to her or even look at her while she sat there on all her splendor glory with a triumphant smirk pasted all over her face. He could even feel her eyes on him, never wanting to miss a single flicker of emotion that would cross his face. Her gaze was digging holes to his body, making him feel uncomfortable and at the same time, annoyed until he couldn't take it anymore.

"Stop it." he hissed, turning his head to the side and glaring at the woman beside him.

"Stop what?" she cocked an eyebrow at him, feigning innocence.

"Stop feigning innocence monkey. It doesn't suit you." he spat out, ignoring the mocking look he was receiving from the purple haired goddess beside him.

"I think asking for forgiveness doesn't suit you either, Mikagami."

Once again, she said his name with so much anger and he can't help but wonder if he would ever hear that nickname she gave him again.

Unconsciously, he let out a sigh that he didn't know he had been holding for a long time.

Since when did he become accustomed to her calling him by that stupid nickname?

He took a sideway glance at the purple haired monkey beside him while at the same time, wondering what she was doing to him.

"Stop looking at me. It's annoying." She said, refusing to look at him.

Feeling slightly embarrassed at getting caught staring at her, he looked away, hiding the slight tint of pink on his cheeks.

"Why would I stare at a monkey like you?"

"You're right." he heard her say, her tone still mocking him. "Better yet, why would you kiss a monkey like me?"

Upon hearing those words, his head snapped back at him, the embarrassment completely replaced by anger towards the purple haired monkey beside him.

His glare was met by dark blue pools mirroring the same anger towards him, only more intense, deeper than he was feeling now.

"Why do you keep pinning over that kiss anyway?" he asked, his glare intensifying.

"Why don't you solve the mystery and tell me why the hell did you kiss me?!" her voice rose a few decibels higher, catching the attention of a few tables near them.

"I said I'm sorry didn't I?" he spat out, hissing under his breath in order to minimize the attention she was already catching for the two of them. "And would you mind lowering your voice? You're drawing attention."

"Why? You're scared that you're ever so perfect reputation would be tainted?" she mocked, still not lowering her voice.

"Quit acting like somebody with no etiquette."

"Fine I'll stop. But tell me one thing." Her voice returned back to normal although there's still a hint of anger evident on the way. "When you apologized a while ago, do you even know what you're apologizing about? Or was it just to follow, rather, give, what Yanagi wants?"

He opened his mouth to say something but his voice was trapped by her words somewhere down his voice box. Before he knew it, she was already walking out of the ice cream parlor, leaving him in his stupor.

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please don't forget to review guys!!! 


	6. Chapter 6

wow... it's been a long time... hehehe!!! sorry for updating later than usual... as you can see, i'm currently hooked on my studies last semester... but since summer and vacation's here, i might be able to update fast enough to keep you hooked on my stories... hehehe!!!

neweiz, here's the next chapter for frost and hope you like it as much as i liked writing it... hope it isn't sloppy though...

so, without further ado, read on guys and hope you enjoy!!!!

and don't forget to review!!!! i'm dying to know what you think!!!!

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Chapter 6:**

_Forgiveness, just like respect, should be earned... However, just like love, it should also come from the heart…_

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Before she could even pass the door of the ice cream parlour, she suddenly felt a hand grab her and jerk her back, making her collide against a warm chest.

Dreading about what she might see, she forced her eyes to look up only to be met with a pair of cold baby blue eyes, confirming her suspicion of who grabbed her.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she hissed under her breath so as not to attract the attention of the other occupants of the room.

"We'll talk whether you like it or not." he whispered against her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

"I thought we're already done talking." She spat out, fighting down the shivers that she was getting, not only from his voice but also from the intense gaze he was suddenly focusing on her.

"I meant in a civilized manner. Come." he finally said, dragging her across the streets, pass the bumping shoulders of people, to somewhere that only the man dragging her behind knows.

"Where are you taking me, you idiot?!" she said, struggling to get free from his grip on her wrist.

However, the more she struggle, the more his grip tighten around her wrist, almost cutting off the blood supply to her hand.

Glaring daggers at his back, she continued to struggle, hoping and greatly wishing that the glare she was sending her would be enough to bring him down, more favourably, kill him.

She looked around her, hoping to see a mob of people that she can ask for help with, however, she was surprised to see herself in an abandoned park. Before she could even speak and demand to him why he took her there, she felt herself being thrown towards one of the swings. If she was not able to hold to one of the rope holding the swing, she might have toppled over and gave him a nice view of her underwear.

"What the hell is your problem?!" she shouted, standing up from the swing and holding up her fist to strike him right at the jaw.

However, before her fist could even connect to his jaw, she felt his hands enclosing her fist while the other held her shoulder and slammed her back down on the swing.

She raised her head to retort something but his voice immediately cut off whatever it is that she has to say.

"For just one second, will you just shut up?!" he shouted at her face, his voice, higher than the usual tone he's using.

To say that she was surprised was an understatement. Never, as in, never in the entire time that she had known the ensui master did she hear him raise his voice. And here she is now, facing a very furious Tokiya who was currently at the verge of shouting at her just to prove his point, even if it means levelling his voice to hers. Aside from that, he had shouted at her for the second time already and she could tell that in the entire history of the people he had known, she is the only one who was able to make him raise his voice, twice.

Thinking that making him angry even more might not be a good idea, she decided to stay put on the swing, her glare still fixated on Tokiya.

As if sensing that she's not going to struggle anymore, she felt him loosen his grip on her shoulders and her fist, backing off a few steps from her to give her some room.

"About time." He said, looking directly at her.

"You said we're going to talk, so talk." She spat out, still glaring daggers at him and ignoring the shivers running down her spine from his intense glare.

A long pregnant silence filled them aside from the occasional sounds from the environment. Even though no words were being spoken between them, she could tell that Tokiya was probably looking for the right words to say. He is, after all, not usually the first one starting the conversations. He is either listening or just giving his usual curt replies.

The silence between them continued to grow so she decided that she would save them both the trouble and start the conversation herself.

"Why did you—" she started but was cut off again by Tokiya.

"Are we going back to the question as to why the hell did I kiss you?" he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, if you're answering the question, then maybe, we wouldn't be going back to the same question all the time."

Again, another long silence followed and before she could even break the silence once again, his baritone voice filled her ears.

"I don't know." He said, his eyes closed and his face turned to the side to hide his emotions from her.

"What?" she asked, looking confused from what he said.

"I don't know… why I did that…" he whispered audibly.

"Oh…" was all she could say.

After the many attempts of getting the answer to that question, she never thought on how she would react once she heard it. So she just bowed her head and stared at the ground, hoping that she could find some instructions there on what to do next.

"I just snapped during that time. I was… furious." He finally admitted, not only to her but also to himself.

She looked up, surprised from the admission of the ensui master.

It was the first time that he admitted he lost control of his emotions and the first time that he admitted it to somebody, upfront. This was something new to her and, frankly, she doesn't know what to do with the situation she's in now.

_Looks like I'm into something that I thought I could handle… but I was wrong…_

Then suddenly, a thought came to her, something that may be the cause as to why he snapped and became furious at her all of a sudden. If what she's thinking is correct, then maybe, there's no one to blame except her, herself and not him.

Suddenly, she dreaded asking the question, thinking that if she is right, then there's no point of getting mad at him at all. In fact, she should be the one asking for his forgiveness. The way she had been acting this past week might just be her stupidity over something that she, herself, caused.

Still, the question must be asked, even if it means she has to swallow her pride and say sorry to him, instead, afterwards.

Bracing herself, she tightened her hold on the ropes of the swing she was sitting on.

"Is it because of the question I asked you earlier that day?" she asked, summoning her courage to look up and meet his gaze.

"What?" his questioning gaze lingered on her.

She withdrew her gaze, trying to escape his intense eyes. However, she then summoned the enough courage to meet his gaze once again and ask the question she'd been dreading to ask.

"Were you furious because I pried into your business? Was it because I knew you were in love with Yanagi?"

* * *

To say that he was shock to hear what she just said was an understatement. Here he was, thinking how much of a fool he is for losing control on that fateful day, kissing her without her consent and ruining whatever kind of civilized relationship he has with her, then she'll ask a question that, if he answered correctly, would definitely put all the blame of what happened entirely to herself.

"If you're asking that to put all the blame to yourself, then, forget about it. I'm not answering that question." He said, walking towards the swing next to her and settling himself comfortably on it.

He fixed his gaze on the view before him, thinking on how to say the things he currently have in mind. He is, after all, not familiar and comfortable with such kinds of conversation. Besides, he has an image to protect and being too humble and stuff doesn't belong in it.

Aside from that, it wasn't her question about Yanagi that made her lose his calm. If only she could remember clearly, he was still clam after she asked that question. It was a different thing that made him snap, or more like, a different name.

_Raiha…_

Although it is still a puzzle to him, he entirely snapped at the thought of her having a relationship greater than acquaintances with the said Uruha.

"Still," her soft voice filled his ears once again, clearing his mind of the thought of Raiha. "I want to know if that's the reason why you snapped. In that way, I would know that I was wrong and… maybe, ask for your forgiveness instead."

"From the way you acted these past few days, I wouldn't want you asking for my forgiveness." He said, letting a playful smirk form on his lips before turning his head to her direction to see the reaction she'll have from what he's going to say next. "I would want you begging for it."

Just like he expected, he suddenly found himself looking directly at the fiery dark blue pools of his companion, which only made the grin on his face widen.

She had always been like this. Calm, just like the wind, most of the times, however, a simple comment, remark or statement that she didn't like could instantly make her loose that calm, turning her into a raging tornado.

As if finally realizing that he was just messing with her, he saw her sigh in disbelief before focusing another glare to his direction. However, this time, he could see no hint of anger of all sorts. Instead, there was a playful glint on her eyes, something that he didn't see for a long time.

"I can't believe you would do something like that. We're in the middle of a serious conversation that, may I remind you, you started and then you'll suddenly insert some kind of a sick joke to ruin the serious moment. And may I add that it is not like you to be joking in a serious moment. Hell, it's not even like you to be joking, at all." She said, stumping her foot on the ground to move her swing.

He watched in amusement as she played on the swing as if she was a child longing for the thrill of riding it. It was as if it was her first time to be riding swing. It made her look… enchanting…

Not that he was enchanted or something. He was merely amazed.

But at the back of his mind, he knew, somehow, that the wind goddess swinging beside him had never failed to enchant him ever since he knew her.

However, as if to clear the thought out of his mind, he slowly shook his head before focusing his gaze once again on the view before him as a nostalgic feeling came upon him upon remembering someone who used to bring him to such places when he was little.

_Sister…_

During those times, as a child, he was so excited every time his sister would tell him that they would go to the park right after school. The park seems to bring some kind of an excitement to him. But all of that changed after that incident happened.

After she died, park just became a dull place to him. It just made him feel nostalgic all of a sudden, as if the place suddenly turned into a cemetery and not some place that the kids and adults totally love.

Yet, at some unexplainable reason, he dragged her here… and surprisingly; the park doesn't look as nostalgic as it used to be. Silently, he wondered if the presence of the wind goddess has something to do with it.

"Hey, you should try the swing too!" her excited voice broke his line of thoughts, making him look at her, rather, follow her with his gaze.

"Don't you think you're too old to be swinging like a child?" he said, withdrawing his gaze and closing his eyes instead to avoid getting dizzy from following her with his eyes.

"Nobody's too old to ride the swing! You don't see any age limit posted on it, right?" she said, still continuing to go back and forth, her speed just increasing in every swing.

"It's because the people who made them assumed that some teens have enough common sense to know that they are made just for kids."

"Oh come on. You're such a spoil sport. Everybody wants to go to the park and have a little fun."

"I don't. Not after she died." he said, not really sure why he added the last sentence that would also, definitely, make her feel as miserable as he is.

And just as predicted, the swing suddenly stopped and a long silence followed while he silently anticipated the next thing that she'll say.

"I'm sorry." She softly whispered.

He chuckled upon hearing this from her. No, it's not like he was laughing at her or something. It's just that she doesn't seem to realize that there is really nothing she should be sorry about. Saying sorry just made her look so guilty that she was having a good time while I'm wallowing in melancholic memories, when in fact, I should be the one saying sorry for so many things: loosing my cool, the kiss, and taking away this moment from her because of my own misery.

"Do you even know what you're sorry about?" he asked, a sudden déjà vu of their conversation earlier that day at the ice cream parlour suddenly filled him, only now, he was asking that question instead of her throwing it on his face.

"Because of your sister." She said, answering the question that he didn't have the guts to answer earlier that day.

Somehow, he knew she was using his sister as an excuse. Somehow, he knew that she was thinking of the same thing that was going on in his mind. She was apologizing, not entirely because of his sister, but because of being too happy when he was flooded with bittersweet memories. It was as if she was obliging herself to accompany him in his wallowing and set aside having some fun because he's not having any.

_You're impossible, Kirisawa…_

He thought before noticing that it was already getting late and slowly standing up from the swing. Without even thinking what he was doing, he grabbed her bag that had dropped when he sat her on the swing and turned to her, only to meet her confused eyes.

"Don't be sorry. You have nothing to do with it in the first place." He said, gently tossing her bag back at her before turning his back on her so as not to see the faint tinge of red on his cheeks as he said his next sentence. "Come. I'll walk you home."

Surely she must have been surprised from what he said. Hell, even he was surprised from what he said. But right now, it seems to be the right thing to do. No, it feels to be the right thing to do.

Before another thought could even come to his mind, he felt her presence beside him and heard her voice once again.

"You know, you really don't have to walk me home. I can take it from here, really. You do know I could take care of my self, right?" she said, still hoping she would be able to convince her not to walk her home.

But he refused to answer, knowing that the answer to her question is probably going to stop him from walking her home. Not that he wants to walk her home, or something. It's just that there's still one thing that she still haven't given him, something that would finish this whole stupidity once and for all.

"You're not seriously walking me home, are you?" she said after about fifteen minutes of walking silently and realizing that he wasn't kidding about what he said.

Still, he didn't answer, leaving that question to be answered by her, herself.

"Really, you don't have to walk me home…" she said again after five minutes as they turn around the corner that would take them about another ten minutes to her house.

"How the hell did you know where I live?" she suddenly asked, quite surprised that he knew where corners to turn to and completely forgetting convincing him not to walk her home.

"I took Ganko home the last time she stayed up late at home playing with Koganei." He answered, his gaze fixed on the direction they were heading to.

"Oh… she didn't tell me that…" she whispered, probably voicing out her thoughts.

Another five minutes of silence passed by and this time, he was intent on clearing things out with her.

"Listen," he said, not even bothering to look at her as he say so. "I'm only going to repeat this for the very last time. I'm sorry, okay, for what happened at Kagero's." he said, not really expecting her to say something back.

"Oh… that… yeah…" she said, as if unsure of what to say next. "I… think I should be the one asking for your forgiveness… I'm sorry for prying into you business. It's not entirely my concern to know about your feelings for…" she trailed off, not really sure if she should say it again.

"So as it is not my concern if you and that Uruha has a thing." He reluctantly said, not really sure if he meant every word.

Aside form that, there was this clutching ache in his chest as the words carelessly flowed from his lips, an ache that he readily set aside and ignored.

Before he even knew it, they were already standing in front of the Kirisawa household, waiting for Fuuko to get inside, just like how any gentleman would do.

Just as how he was about to turn away when she reached the front door, her voice stopped him and rooted him on his spot.

"Listen," she said as she ran back to the front gate. "I'll forgive you, only if you'll forgive me of my insensitivity and stupidity."

He looked at her, thinking if she was clearly aware that her face shows says otherwise. Her face already showed the signs of forgiveness, telling him that even if he doesn't agree with her condition, he is already, entirely, forgiven. Still, he gave in to her condition just so they could go back to how they were before that incident.

"Fine then." He said, letting a small smile grace his lips, a real, heartfelt smile, something that only she had the opportunity to see. "I forgive you."

He saw her return that smile and he knew at the back of her head, she was really thinking this way: 'Is that a smile I see? You must really be getting soft. But I'll give you the credit and not tease you about it. No. Not this time.'

"Good." She said, sticking out her hand through the railings of the gate separating them in a gesture of a handshake. "I forgive you too."

And with those words out of her lips, he took her hand and gave her a gentle, but firm handshake.

Just then, before he could even blink, she had already run towards the front door, shouting before she could enter.

"See you at school. Take care, Mi-chan!!!"

And then she was gone and he was left there at the front gate staring at the place where she once stood, that small smile still posted on his face.

_Mi-chan…_

He thought before turning around to walk home, himself.

_It's been a while since I heard that…_

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well??? what do you think??? good??? bad??? terrible??? god, i hope not... neweiz, don't forget to leave you precious reviews behind... i really want to know what you guys think of this chapter... and aside from that, i want to ask you guys if Raiha should make an appearance on this fic... so??? should we include dear Raiha???

by the way, thanks to the previews reviewers of this fic namely: obsessed dreamer, yanagi-chyan, Jodie's KB 4ever, SnowCharms, Shenhui, hotaru no hikari, nils...

thanks so much and i'm expecting a review from you guys!!!!

till next chap!!!


	7. Chapter 7

hi guys!! i know, i know... where the hell did i came from?? yeah... it's been a long time... let's just say being a graduating student in college takes a hell lot of time than i could ever imagine... that's why i didn't have the chance to write a new chapter for this story... by the way guys, i'm going to finish each story one at a time so... as for now, i'm gonna finish this first...

hope you guys still support my fics even though i have been gone for so long... and i hope this chapter is enough to compensate for the long time i was not able to update... forgive the writer's block and after i get over it, i promise to edit and make it up to you guys...

well, here goes nothing... hope you guys enjoy this one...

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**Chapter 7:**

_You will never realize what you have until such time that you realize it's being taken away from you or, worst, until such time that you lose it…_

"Out of my way!!" she loudly said as she ran her way past the mob of people along the sidewalks, clutching her bag on one hand while the other was busy holding the sandwich she grabbed from her plate before she left the house.

_Déjà vu?? No way!! Déjà vu happens in a one to fifty ratio!! This happens to me everyday!! I really should let Ganko put my clock in advance!! I can't believe I'm late!! AGAIN!!_

With panic written all over her face, she rounded the corner that would take her to her destination for another seven minutes… of running. Cursing herself for being so lazy when it comes to getting up, she clamped her sandwich between her mouth to prevent herself from cursing out loud and scare the living daylights out of the other passers by.

Just as she was about to turn around the corner, she noticed a familiar figure passing by the other side of the street. Without another thought in mind, she stopped, looked back to search for the figure once again, hoping that her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. All thoughts about being late for school, getting scolded by her teacher and doing detention suddenly disappeared from her mind, replaced by the thought of finding that familiar figure and making sure that it wasn't just an illusion she saw.

She searched frantically amidst the crowd of people moving around her, each eager to reach for their destination. She was being shoved, going against the flow of the crowd, but she didn't care. At that moment, all that matters is to find that person and convince her self that she wasn't just dreaming that it wasn't just her eyes playing tricks on her.

Then, she saw it again. A flash of a familiar figure, only this time, it was already far away, almost like a silhouette slowly fading into the crowd and she couldn't even move for her feet seemed to be rooted on the ground she was standing on.

_It wasn't an illusion… it was… real… he… came back…_

"Oi, monkey." A cold, familiar voice lured her out of her thoughts and caused her to instantly jerk around and face the owner of the voice.

"Mikagami?" she asked, a little surprised to find the man who was supposed to be the model student and never missed a single class (except probably when they joined the UBS) standing in front of her and staring at her suspiciously. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"I should ask the same thing." He said, his eyes boring holes of suspicion into her body. "You're supposed to be in school."

She avoided his eyes as he said these. She didn't know why but there was something in his gaze that told her she should feel guilty about something. Like she was a child caught by her mother stealing, not one but two cookies, from the cookie jar.

_Why should I feel guilty? It's not like I really saw him… besides, even if I did, I shouldn't feel guilty… everything had been over a long time ago…_

"You're right!" she suddenly exclaimed, hiding her worry with a huge smile plastered on her face. "We're both very late from school already and if we don't hurry up now, we're really never gonna make it to school!!" she exclaimed before grabbing hold of one of his arms and dashing to the direction of their school, dragging Tokiya behind her.

"What do you think you're doing, monkey! This happens to be Armani you're stretching!!" she heard him say from behind her.

"Oh quit it, Mi-chan!! Who would actually wear Armani as his school uniform?!" she yelled, trying to sound as cheerful and as teasing as ever, if not only for the familiar figure that was now haunting the deepest corners of her brains… and her heart.

After ten minutes of running around while pulling Mikagami by his sleeves, together with the occasional muttered curses and death threats she was hearing from Mikagami, they finally reached the school grounds just in time before the bell rings to signal the second period classes.

"Just in time!" she exclaimed while catching her breath and looking at the equally breathless Mikagami beside her. "I bet you never ran that fast before! And I bet this is the first time that you actually ran just so you could reach school just in time!" she teased him, earning her a death glare from him.

"Just in time?" he questioned her. "You mean for the second class." He said sarcastically.

"Still, at least we were able to make it just in time for the second class. First subject classes aren't that important anyway."

"Only those who are can't always make it in time for the first period class believe in that kind of thinking." He said, before turning around and walking away from her.

She opened her mouth to give him a sarcastic retort but somehow, her voice seemed to have been caught in her throat as she watched the lonely figure walking away from her.

Watching Mikagami walk away from her seems to have triggered her memory of a very identical situation in the middle of a clearing in a forest with her standing just like that as she watched his familiar figure walk away from her.

Reluctantly dragging her eyes from the scene before her and from the creeping memories that suddenly haunted her thoughts, she decided to settle her gaze on the dark clouds looming over her head.

"It's going to rain soon." She whispered to no one in particular before a loud clap of thunder sounded across the sky.

_Raiha…_

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In a matter of minutes, he reached the fourth floor of their school building that the senior students occupy just as the rain outside had started to fall heavily. He stopped in his tracks and looked up at the same time, a loud clap of thunder sounded across the sky followed by a rod of lightning just by the horizon.

Then, suddenly, as if his eyes are being pulled by an unknown force, he looked down at the school grounds, expecting to see nothing there. However, his eyes were met by an image of Fuuko looking down at the ground with her whole body drenched with the rain. Her school bag was now lying on the wet ground and she doesn't seem to care that the bag isn't waterproof and it is now sinking in a puddle of water that seems to build up as more rain poured from the sky.

_What is that idiot monkey doing under the rain?_

He can't help but wonder as his gaze seems to be transfixed on the girl looking anything but… helpless? Depressed? He doesn't know. All he knows is that the brave, cheerful image of Fuuko seems to have been washed away by the rain only to be replaced by something that he had never seen before… and seeing her in this new light captured his interest without him even knowing it.

After a minute or two of staring at her, another loud thunder clapped across the sky and it brought him back to his senses, making him realize two things. One is that, he's definitely late for his second period class yet he doesn't seem to care. The other is that, he had been unconsciously staring at Fuuko to the point that he forgot about his class.

_This is stupid…_

He said to himself and was about to leave when he noticed that Fuuko was now looking at the sky as if she was welcoming every droplet of rain that was falling on her face and cascading down her cheeks to her neck.

Another thunder clapped across the sky and this time, he saw her smile. No, it was not the creepy, I'm-gonna-beat-up-your-ass kind of smile. It was…

…_was what, Mikagami? Quit acting like a perverted romantic and mind your own business like you usually do!_

He scolded himself as he reluctantly tore his gaze from the image below him and walked towards his classroom.

He doesn't care. He kept on telling himself that he doesn't care. He kept on convincing himself that the image of the former fuujin wielder drenching her self in the rain doesn't bother him at all. Yet, as he was telling himself these things, he already found himself retracing his steps back to where she was with the determination of pulling her out of the rain even if he has to drag her by her hair if he has to.

_What am I doing?!_

He asked himself, as he seems to be regretting his actions, knowing that the monkey might only laugh at him for doing something way out of his league.

Turning around would be too late now for he already found himself by the entrance of the school building. He stared quietly at a completely drenched woman slumped on the ground with her purple locks covering almost her entire face and limiting his view to only the thin line of her lips which were slightly quivering, whether from the cold rain or something else, he doesn't know.

He stared at her, not knowing how to approach her or what to say to her. After all, he wasn't used to inquiring about other people's business.

"Oi, monkey." Was the first words that came from his mouth and he wasn't quite sure whether now is the safe way to call her that.

He watched for her reaction but she remained unmoving on the ground.

"It's raining in case you haven't noticed." He stated the obvious and he could feel the urge to slap him self and bang his head against a wall for having said such lame words.

_Where did all those wit that you were so proud of went?_

"You're going to catch a cold." He said before he can stop himself when she didn't stir from her place.

_Now you're starting to sound like you care, Mikagami, you idiot! Just leave already and let her be!_

"Fine. Stay there as long as you want." He said before turning around to leave.

However, he was stopped when he heard her faint voice against the strong drizzle of the rain against everything around them.

"It was also raining that day…" he heard her whisper, causing him to turn around and look at her with questioning eyes.

"Just by the clearing in the forest… he said goodbye… just like that…" she said, her voice just soft enough for him to hear.

"Can you imagine that? It was such a slap on the face to hear him say that he loved me but his loyalties lie on Kurei…" she continued to whisper but he could imagine the slight smirk that was gracing her face as she said those words.

Silence lingered in the air. All that was heard was the heavy raindrops falling on the soaking ground. He continued staring at her while mentally debating whether or not he should stay for another minute. It wasn't like he was used to listening to other's problems especially if those concerns some matters about the heart.

Besides, it's not like it's such a surprise for that good-excuse-for-a-ninja to choose Kurei over her. He is after all loyal to the one master that he'll serve, probably for the rest of his life, just like the way the sea monkey is loyal to Yanagi. Either that or he's probably…

"Maybe he's gay." The thought surprised him so much that he unconsciously voiced it out loud, loud enough for Fuuko to hear.

The next thing he knew, he heard her laughing her heart out before standing up from her sitting position. She walked towards him, arms on her waist and looking at him with a huge smile on her face.

He immediately frowned at this. Was this some kind of façade that she use when she's extremely pissed off and about to punch his face the moment she's close enough to do so?

Instinctively, he put on a defensive stance when she was just close enough but instead of a punch, she gave him a huge grin.

"You know what? Maybe he really is gay…" she said before laughing again, this time, a real laugh and he couldn't help but smile with the knowledge that it was because of him.

He was tempted to laugh with her if it wasn't only for the loud booming voice that interrupted their little moment.

"Kirisawa, Mikagami!! To my office, right now!!"

When they looked at the source of the voice, all hell seems to froze over as they stared at the angry face of non other than the principal himself.

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well, what do you think?? please to read and review... please... i know it might not be that good but i did try my best to write this even with the writer's block... LoL!!

please read and review!!

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